1. Book vs. Tax (MACRS Depreciation) Elwood Inc. purchased computer equipment on March 1, 2010, for $36,000. The computer equipment has a useful life of 10 years and a salvage value of $3,000. For tax purposes, the MACRS class life is 5 years.
(a) Assuming that the company uses the straight-line method for book and tax purposes, what is the depreciation expense reported in (1) the financial statements for 2010 and (2) the tax return for 2010?
(b) Assuming that the company uses the double-declining-balance method for both book and tax purposes, what is the depreciation expense reported in (1) the financial statements for 2010 and (2) the tax return for 2010?
(c) Why is depreciation for tax purposes different from depreciation for book purposes even if the company uses the same depreciation method to compute them both?